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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22592395">Space</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkasaurus/pseuds/snarkasaurus'>snarkasaurus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Flash Fiction February 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:54:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22592395</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkasaurus/pseuds/snarkasaurus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby watches the stars</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Flash Fiction February 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625575</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Space</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Day One of <a href="https://www.scribemind.com/blog/flashficfeb">Flash Fiction February</a></p>
<p>A way to have a "literary sketchbook" for the month of February. I'm using it to shake some dust loose.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ruby laid on her back in the grass, nestled into the hollow that just fit her small frame. With her hands tucked behind her head, she watched the stars sparkling in the black velvet sky. Out here, in the middle of nowhere as she was, even the faintest glimmers were visible. She could see the smudgy haze of the rest of the Milky Way—the main body of it, spinning through the universe with Earth tucked way out here on one of its arms—and knew that somewhere out there was the answer to everything she wanted. </p>
<p>Her life seemed so worthless and monotonous. It didn’t seem to matter what she did to make things better; every day was identical to the last, and each time she tried to step off of the path she’d been forced onto, she was knocked back on with such force that Ruby was fairly sure soul had bruises. </p>
<p>Nights like this, where she could escape and soak up the one thing she loved the best went a long way to helping her be patient. Seeing the vastness of space in this tiny way, watching the moon creep higher into the sky, its glowing face reflecting endless optimism down on her, this all made things better. What things, she wasn’t positive she could say, other than to acknowledge that the silvery bright seemed to promise her that she would break free eventually. </p>
<p>A soft rustling next to her made Ruby raise her head. The shadowed form of her pitbull rescue, Billie Howliday, rose from her own hollow and padded the two steps up the length of Ruby’s body until she could snuggle up against her human’s side. The big blocky head settled on Ruby’s stomach, and Ruby didn’t have to be able to see the eyes to know that a pair of adoring, and very big, eyes were staring at her hopefully. With a soft huff of laughter, she stroked the velvety head gently. A soft whump whump paired with faint grass rustling told her that Billie‘s tail was wagging in happy response to the caress. </p>
<p>Ruby kept stroking Billie‘s head while she returned her eyes to the sky. One day, she’d find a way to be out there among the stars 	She’d get herself through school, find a path into NASA, and become an astronaut. Or maybe she could become a pilot and somehow get a job with SpaceX. It didn’t really matter how she got out there. What mattered was that she did. And until she did, this would work: laying here, Billie’s warmth and love filling her, the skies wide open above her. </p>
<p>This would be enough.</p>
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